Get Your Kicks
by Elena Tod
Summary: Taking place after Unwholly(-spoiler), Connor and Lev are on road back to Ohio, but cruising down the historic Route 66 is not as leisurely as it may sound. What obstacles lie in their path? Also, where is Risa? What is Cam doing about it? And can Starkey rise up to be the leader he made himself look or ill him and his pack of storks suffer from his actions?
1. 1 Lev

A/N: I tried to write this as similar to Neal Shusterman as possible, but alas, I am not him, so bear with me! I hope you enjoy this. It takes place right after Unwholly ends so...SPOILER ALERT!

It was nice to be traveling with Connor again, even though he was dreading going back to Ohio. Going back home made Lev feel sick to his stomach. What if he ran into his family? After Lev's confrontation with his father at the hospital, he knew he couldn't face them again. His father hated him, and his mother wouldn't even look him in the eye, let alone speak to him. He didn't want to remember the shame and misery that he caused. Lev couldn't help the feeling of guilt that would wash over him whenever he thought of his parents or Marcus, or the anger. They didn't love him anymore. Sometimes Lev doubted if they ever really did. They claimed to, yes, but how unconditional could that love be if a rift in their plans erases the fact he was even their son? The words exchanged between Lev and his father still rang fresh in his mind as if it all just happened yesterday. He wanted to hate them, all of them. He wanted to deny that they were his parents just as they denied him as their son. He wanted to hate them…

Yet, despite all that: all the hurt Lev felt, and all his parents did to him, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. There was a voice, deep in his mind, that told him to forgive. It told him to accept and let go of that hate. It was the same voice he would hear years ago when he questioned his tithing. He used to think it was God telling him what was right and wrong. Now, he knows that it wasn't the voice of God. He recognized the voice. Now, when he had to decide between right and wrong, he heard Dan's voice.

Lev found himself thinking of the ex-pastor a lot ever since he left the hospital. Every day, when he had his "alone time" in the late afternoon at the Cavenaugh Mansion, he would turn melancholy when this man, who had been more like a father to him than his real father, came to his mind. He tried not to let tears fall. Firstly, because it would show weakness, and secondly because he would have had to face a whole mansion of tithes who looked up to him at dinner that night. Pastor Dan's death made Lev's heart ache, and when he thought about him too much he would begin to feel lost, just as if he were back on the streets, with no direction and feeling miserable and alone in the world. He refused to feel that way ever again. That was why he tried not to think about home, his family, or Dan. The past was the past, as Connor would say, and thinking about it would only hold Lev back.

Connor had explained to Lev the story of why they were suddenly heading back to Ohio in the car after leaving the diner, and what it had to do with Janson Rheinschild.

Lev had asked, "So, how do you know Rheinschild's wife?" They had just gotten onto the historic Route 66 again; starting their mission to save the world of unwinds.

Connor hesitated. "It's sort of a long story." Lev noticed that he had both hands on the steering wheel, and stared at the road straight ahead.

Lev gestured to the road in front of them with both hands as he countered, "We _have_ time you know. Tell me."

Connor looked over, sighed, then turned his attention back to the road. "Okay," he started, "After you left us at the school, a teacher helped us escape the juvies and took us to this antique shop. Apparently, she's friends with the owner, who is an old woman named, Sonia. See where this is going?"

"I think so," Lev replied, "but are you sure it's the same woman?"

"I'm positive," Connor said assuringly, "She has a safe house in the basement. We stayed there a while, until we got sent to another. It's actually where we met Hayden, Roland, and Mia."

Lev perked up slightly, "Really?"

He nodded. This made Lev think of something. "Connor?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Connor kept his eyes on the road and mirrors, eyes always peeled for juvy cops. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Why did you get Roland's tattoo? I mean, you two hated each other, right?"

Connor smiled, "We did, but Roland got unwound at Happy Jack. After the explosion, Elvis had the right papers or was qualified-or something like that- for receiving unwind parts, so while I was still unconscious, I got several new parts, including a new arm." He took his shark arm off the steering wheel to hold out to Lev, shark side out.

Lev felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop. "No…you're not saying that… that _this _is…"

"_His_ arm," Connor finished for him, "Yes."

Lev didn't know what to say. The only thing he could get out was a question, "But how do you feel about all that?"

Of course, Connor didn't need to answer that because Lev already thought he knew the answer.

It was silent after that. Lev stared at the sun as it set, then at the night sky above. As they drove, there used to be many other drivers on the road. They would pass at least on every ten seconds, but as the sun went down, and the day ended, the cars came less and less. Now, getting later in the night, it seemed as though they were the only ones in the world. It was a long time since Lev just gazed at the stars, but with a heavy head, he leaned against the door and stared at the sky. He didn't even realize that he'd dozed off in the passenger seat.


	2. 2 Connor

After explaining things to Lev, everything got quiet in the car. Connor knew that they would have to switch again soon. Find a town and hijack another one, but now, alone on the Great American Highway, Connor had time to think. He thought about home, Sonia, Karla, Risa, and him and Lev. However, no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept turning back to the Graveyard.

_There was nothing you could have done!_ his mind told him, but it didn't stop the overwhelming guilt from consuming him.

_You should have done _something_. You should have found a way._ another voice told him. He couldn't help feeling like he missed something. Like there was something he didn't think of that would have fixed everything and saved all those kids. Those were innocent people! What kind of leader could he be if he couldn't save more than sixty of his people out of several hundred? It wasn't enough.

He sighed. There was nothing to do about it now, except fight on and start over. With a new tactic, a new plan. That's what Connor planned on doing now. He would find Sonia, ask her his questions and get some answers. Those answers would, hopefully, contained the key to ending unwinding for good. Connor looked down at his tattoo, Roland's tattoo. Although he hated him, Connor couldn't help but feel bad for him. He also wondered where the rest of him went. What was the rest of Roland doing right now?

The thoughts made a cold shiver run down his spine, and he shook it away. He saw a sign coming up ahead. When he got closer, his headlights revealed what is said. Gallup, New Mexico was the nearest city they should go. It was a reasonable goal. Connor believed that the sooner they got out of Arizona, the better. It was still miles away. Connor estimated that they wouldn't get there until dawn. That, he planned, will be where they would ditch their current car for another.

"Did you see that Lev?" Connor asked. "In the morning we should be…"

When he turned to look at Lev, Connor saw him slouched in his seat, fast asleep. With a chuckle, he turned his attention back to the road. Seeing Lev reminded him of sleep and he realized just how tired he was. A yawn worked its way to his jaw and he felt his eyes droop. He couldn't stop yet. It wasn't safe. They were never safe, and possibly never would be again. They had to at least cross the border between Arizona and New Mexico, and then they could rest. A few miles more, just a few more…

Another sign came up ahead. It read: VISIT WINSLOW NEXT RIGHT

The sign was old and rotting, but it wasn't hard to tell what it said. Nothing had ever felt so tempting to Connor in his life. All he could think about was getting sleep. That was all he could think about. The next thing he knew, he took the right. If Connor had been fully alert, he may have realized something off about his trip into Winslow, Arizona.


End file.
